Conventional MHD generators generally comprise a divergent duct or channel through which a high temperature plasma flows to induce different voltages in a plurality of segmented Faraday electrodes that are positioned at different longitudinal positions along the length of the duct. The voltages are induced as a result of an interaction between the plasma and a magnetic field that extends through the duct, at right angles to the direction of plasma flow. The segmented electrodes are positioned on opposite sides of the duct relative to the magnetic field, whereby there are induced progressively larger, positive high voltages on cathode electrodes positioned along one side of the duct; similarly, progressively larger relatively low DC voltages are induced in anode electrodes positioned on the opposite side of the duct.
In a full scale utility-power plant MHD generator, there might be on the order of one thousand pairs of anodes and cathodes and a resulting one thousand pairs of output leads. In the past, it has been the general practice to assume an inverter for each output lead and an output transformer winding for each of the inverters. While certain circuit configurations, such as the diagonal configuration, have been designed to reduce, to a certain extent, the number of output leads and transformer windings, the number of such leads and windings remains relatively high. The principal disadvantage of the multiple outputs are the requirements for a large number of separate inverters and a relatively expensive multiwinding power output transformer.
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved network for coupling multiple electrodes of an MHD generator (of either the Faraday or diagonal configuration) to a load wherein the number of separate inverters and primary windings and terminals needed on a main power transformer is substantially reduced.